Alcohol
by Rammerstein
Summary: Gonna try write 60 of these. As in, 60 days between Arrival and the trial for ME3. Might flunk out or run out of ideas Named 'Alcohol' because my Shepard is a drunk, will be drunk at some point in every chapter he is in. Also, no better name to think of.
1. Chapter 1 : Meeting

**==Day 1**

Shepard awoke in the medbay with a throbbing headache and a burning sensation on his side. The lights were as bright as ever, at least they seemed so to him. He shook his head, massaging his temples trying to make light of the situation. He opened his eyes, tentatively at first as his pupils adjusted to the lighting. He looked around, Chakwas was sitting in her usual chair, engrossed in a hardcover book. "_Huh, an actual paper book_." He'd been seeing those a lot more since his ressurection. On another bed, Jacob was sat on the edge nursing his broken but bandaged arm.

"Augh, man. You really need to lock up Kasumi's supply or something." said Shepard. He stretched his sore limbs, popping his shoulders as he did so. Last thing he remembered was walking over to Thane's room. As he looked intently at Jacob, waiting for a retort he saw the faint trace of a bruised jaw. "Must have been some party."

"Party? Are you serious?" he replied, an incredulous look etched across his face. "You got drunk and started rambling about ash or something."

"I distinctly remember, before not remembering anything, that Kenny was also drinking. Drunk Scotsmen equals party, Jacob. Your argument is rendered invalid."

"Kasumi knocked him out after he tried to smooch the 'anime chick'." replied Jacob, finger quoting as he did so. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt an odd satisfaction seeing the redhead sprawled on the floor. Was it approval for the way Kasumi retaliated to Ken's... ungentlemanly behaviour, or did it run deeper?

"Maybe you should talk to Kelly about that problem, that's the whole reason she's here." he continued, glibly adding under his breath, "Doesn't do much else anyway."

"Every man has his flaws, Jacob. Every woman too." Shepard gave Jacob a 'Yeah, I heard that' look. "Besides, I happen to like drinking." Shepard closed his eyes, trying to will away the headache that grasped his mind in a stranglehold. "Just hate the damn hangovers."

"You better get going, Shepard. Admiral Hackett's waiting at the Citadel, says he wants to talk to you."

"Fine, get me an ice pack will ya?" He was not looking forward to the Admiral's berating.

"Shepard, I send you out on a rescue mission, and a whole star system is destroyed." The old marine stated. "_Shouldn't that have been phrased a question?_" Shepard thought. "_He probably already knows from the report Joker sent in. Damn superior officers always making you repeat everything_."

"That relay had to be destroyed, the Reapers were going to use it as a short cut into the galaxy. We literally would have had minutes left if I hadn't."

Shepard had been expecting a berating. Reapers, sure. But 300 thousand dead. That... was a substantial number, to say the least. The Admiral merely sighed in response. "_Maybe the Alliance had found out he sent me?_"

"I believe you. But what you did does no one a favour in the Alliance's eyes. And the Batarians... they will want blood, Shepard." Seeing no response from Shepard, he continued.

"When all this is over, the Alliance expects you to wear your dress blues and return to Earth for trial." Still, Shepard remained stoic. Gaze firm and strong, eyes staring into his own. Legs parted slightly, with hands rested behind him in a standard parade rest position.

"Shepard, are you listening?"

Shepard snapped out of his reverie. "What? Oh yeah, sorry. I was waiting for you to cut the crap and actually start helping for once." The admiral found that amusing for a split second, "_A class act, this Shepard_."

Before breaking into his rage. "It's out of my hands!" Shepard winced at his words. The admiral thought the direness of the situation had finally sunk in. Shepard simply thought "_Not so damn loud!_"

"I know you heard me, Shepard. When they call, I expect you to come. Maybe after that we'll be able to help you."

Shepard just nodded. Waiting for superior officers to stop talking always wore his patience thin. As the Admiral turned towards the door to leave, he was abruptly stopped as Shepard lingered a hand on his shoulder.

"I went out there as a favour to you. Now I want you to do something for me." Hackett looked into his eyes, seeing a cold determination that wasn't there a few seconds ago.

Hackett folded his arms, _oh so_ eager to learn what new type of explosives he wanted or which tier grenade launcher he would want delievered. "I'm listening."

"Operations Chief Ashley Madeline Williams." He wasn't fully expecting that.

_Denied!_

"Shepard, you're a rogue. Even if I could get her transferred here, it would be as a civilian. I can't lend her to you as an Alliance Marine. From what I heard from Anderson, she gave you the cold shoulder for quitting the Alliance."

Ouch, that was a low blow. Somewhat amusing, coming from a strict old dog like him. "More from being dead and a terrorist than anything."

"Anything else, just ask. Commander." Hackett put extra emphasis on the last word, whether as a final insult or an act of faith Shepard did not know. He was leaving, anyways. And that, would give him more time to shake off the hangover.

"What do you think?" said Shepard, apparently to an empty med-bay.

A voice drawled over the intercom. "Least you have a reason to go to that trial now."

"JOKER!" Jeff practically jumped out of his chair. "_Thank god I didn't hit the console_" was the first thought that came to his mind.

"Freakin' hell! Would you *please* stop doing that?" he then complained, swivelling around to meet his commander.

Shepard merely smiled. The pilot had a knack for cracking jokes and playing pranks, but nothing beat startling him when he was sitting alone in the cockpit. Especially when he was doing something.. _private_. "You have camera feeds, use them."

Joker grumbled, his eyes throughout the ship had been jabbed, stabbed and blinded. EDI disconnected most of them, leaving only one functioning. "Not anymore. EDI disabled all of them except for the CIC. I would have preferred the bathrooms but, whatever."

"What, the view of Miz Chambers got boring for ya?"

_Oh_, the look on his face!

"How'd you know it only points at her!" he questioned, and apparently startled look on his usually grinning self.

"I may have told EDI to leave that one open. Give you a little eye candy." The mischievous grin Shepard bore dissipated, leaving a more concerned gleam in his eyes.

"You're too much of a loner, Joker. You never let anyone close, and the only reason you're talking to me right now is because you got me killed."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." The pilot swerved back towards council, leaving Shepard feeling slightly guilty. "_Kicks to the groin are being delivered all over, tonight_." he thought amusingly. Shepard sighed, turned to face the CIC and resumed his position as Commander.

"72 hour shore leave. CUT."

"Aye, aye." replied the pilot as he opened the line to the intercom. He assumed an eas-going cruise tour's voice.

"Hey crew, this is your roguish pilot speaking. Commander says 90 hour shore leave, CUT. As there are plenty of hotels around the Citadel, no more banging in the core room, please."

Shepard shook his head as he headed towards the science lab. Amusing as that was, he knew Joker used humour as a coping mechanism. "_That boy has issues_."

Joker waited for the Commander to be completely out of sight. Turning back to his console, he flicked a finger over one of the holographic switches, bringing up a screen showing a petite redhead standing over her work station. A confused look glazed over his eyes.

"Mordin, data?" said Shepard. There was no point in uttering pronouns or other _useless_ grammatical tools. Even at dinner, "Mording, ketchup, pass?" would suffice. Mordin turned away from his work, grabbing a datapad and handing it over to Shepard.

"Studying Reaper tech. Astounding! Uses energy fields to indoctrinate. At full capacity, organic minds can only retain sanity for a fleeting period of time. After... madness."

"Come closer, need to listen closely. Might be able to reverse indoctrination, though damage to psyche will still be substantial. Reapers will do everything to keep control."

Shepard stared in awe at the scientist. "Keep.. working on that. Seriously."

"Right, will do."

Shepard strode out of the airlock. He had opted for some formal wear this time. As much as a pain it was to talk to the council, he needed them on his side. That meant dressing up like them. He wore a sleek black suit he obtained from Kasumi Goto. He didn't have a mind for fashion. A plain tuxedo would do.

As he strode intently towards a nearby transport terminal, a thought came to his mind. "_I'm gonna need some stuff for shore leave_." Selecting the destination as 'Shin Akiba', another more bitter revelation came to mind. "_Wouldn't even need it if she would just come back to me_."

The car arrived at Shin Akiba, a considerably less crowded area compared to the other places he had been. He walked around at first, unsure of where to go. As he passed some drunk looking Turians though, he saw what appeared to be a public map.

"Levo/Dextro restaurants... no. Asari cosmetics... no. Aha! Adult erotica!"

Several passers-by turned their heads at the reddening SpecTRe. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to think out loud. Shepard took a brisk walk to his destination, a shop with an actual door this time. He strode inside, the patrons consisted of Turians and Humans, mostly. "_Never thought the Citadel would have so many perverts_." A Salarian stood behind the counter. "_Makes sense_." He thought, to himself this time. "_They can't jack off behind the counter if they don't have a sex drive_."

"Hello, I was wondering whether-"

"Commander Shepard! I never thought I would see an actually SpecTRe in my shop!" The Salarian was speaking way too loud.

Several of the patrons turned their heads, including a Quarian in a yellow suit. Quarians, as in, he couldn't tell whether the yellow guy was leering or laughing.

"Ahem, yes I wanted to-"

"Did you want to buy one of our '_toys_'? You can find more of the exotic items in our catalogue, including Asari-Hanar porn games, Volus suit stimulants, Quarian suit stimulants and Elcor aphrodisiac perfumes. Say, I heard you were giving store owners advertisement rights. I could give you a hefty discount if you let us broadcast your voice!"

More of the shoppers looked at Shepard. Most with neutral expressions, quietly awed at witnessing a SpecTRe buying porn. Some had more amused looks.

"UHM, NO. ACTUALLY, I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU FOR DIRECTIONS. BEING DEAD AND ALL, I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE ANYTHING IS." Shepard practically shouted. Then, in a much more quiet voice, he whispered.

"_give me your contact details, and stop talking so god damn loud_"

The Salarian nodded, finally getting the hint and waved a hand over his omni-tool. The contact details downloaded itself to Shepard's omni-tool.

Shepard walked out, blush still burning his face as he _quietly_ made the purchase online via his omnitool. He went silently into a bathroom and washed his face before continuing on to Anderson.

"Anderson."

"Shepard."

They were still on... odd terms. The last time Shepard came here, the council blew him off again, Anderson wouldn't tell him where the Chief was and overall provided no help whatsoever.

"Contact the council, I have proof of the Reapers." said Shepard. In a _commanding tone_. With his _vastly_ military and political _superior_, Admiral Anderson.

Anderson complied, pressing a few switches and buttons. He said into the device, "Shepard's here."

The holographic displays of three of the councillors appeared, the Human one absent, due to an assassination attempt. Two years on the job and already 7 attempts had been made on his life. The Turian, Valern, the Asari, Tevos and the Salarian, who's name Shepard could not recall. The Turian spoke first.

"Ah, so the prodigal son returns. We heard you came back from the Omega-4 relay?" A malicious smile appeared on his face. The Turian equivalent, anyways. Shepard couldn't decipher the meaning behind it.

"I have proof of the Reapers' existence this time, take a look for yourself." Shepard activated his omni-tool, as the councillors, and Anderson, gave eachother skeptical and apprehensive looks. A holographic screen popped up, showing...

An Asari tangled in the purplish-pink tentacles of a comparably large Hanar.

The Council had mixed reactions. Valern put on a look of hatred and disgust. Tevos looked like she was about to faint, appalled that a SpecTRe, of all people would bring this up. The Salarian, however. Was... smiling? Of course, the Turian spoke, or rather _shouted_ first.

"Is this some kind of joke? We don't have time for this, Commander!" He was practically seething with anger.

"Wrong- fucking- app." replied Shepard. He frantically tried to bring up the right programme. After a few seconds of uncharacteristically bumbling idiocy and thrusts and moans, he opened the schematics of a Reaper.

"Here it is, proof." he said matter-of-factly.

The Council, and Anderson quietly examined the evidence. Looks of anger and appal turned to worry. The councillors discussed amongst themselves, for quite some time. Shepard waited patiently. Although he could not hear it as they muted the connection, he could guess what they were talking about. "_Either they think I'm faking it again or they're discussing how to prosecute me for not telling them sooner_." About 20 minutes passed before he decided to speak up.

"The reproduce by breaking apart organics into genetic slime, or something to that effect. I had to fucking watch as they melted a colonist right in front of my eyes and funneled them into a Reaper larva while you did nothing." Shepard himself was stood with a stoic posture, but his word held a deep passion behind them. To his slight shock, the Council believed him.

"Commander... this is a.. _shocking_ revelation." said Valern.

"Shocking? That's the best you can- Wait, revelation? So you actually believe me this time?"

"We trust the data our agents provide, Commander. When they actually have proof."

"So what are you going to do?"

"We shall make the necessary preparations. Commander, you cannot tell anyone else about this." The Salarian spoke.

"What?" Shocking as it was that they could now see how screwed they were, it shocked him even more that they wouldn't do a thing about it.

"We shall have to prepare in secret, Commander. Goddess help us. Revealing the threat to the galaxy won't help. It would throw everyone into panic and turmoil."

"Well... okay, then. Dismissed." He knew as stubborn as they were, no more could be gained from arguing.

"You don't dismiss us, Commander!" the Turian started, but was unheard as Shepard turned and headed towards the balcony.

Anderson, who had kept quiet all this time, bid them farewell and cut the connection. He walked up and stood next to Shepard.

(This would be a good time to play Vigil)

In the background of his awareness, the Council had already gone. He walked towards the balcony, gesturing with his hand for Anderson to follow. Although being his former friend, being in the military meant he had to treat Anderson with respect. Now, he had lost most of that respect and ties to the Systems Alliance. To him, Admiral Anderson was a past figure who had betrayed him. Anderson walked over, leaning against the balcony.

"You finally did it, Commander. I thought we'd never convince them of the Reaper threat."  
>Shepard had a momentary lapse of anger.<p>

"We, Admiral? As far as I could tell, you turned into one of them and told me to go do it on my own. As far as I can tell, there is no we, here."

"Shepard.. I know I wasn't much of a help, but I have other duties. Preparing humanity for the invasion, trying to keep Councillor Udina at bay with his crazed demandings. You working for Cerberus threw me off, too."

The third statement startled Shepard a bit. "What do you mean, preparing humanity?"

"Not everyone disbelieves you, a large part of the Systems Alliance is already on your side, even some of our alien allies, as backup when they come. But until then, our hands are still tied. Politics, it may seem like bull shit to you, and most of it is. But ultimately our job is to try and keep the peace, to placate whiners who might cause unrest. It's a big and largely unpopular job, but it's necessary.

Shepard sighed, he had to let Anderson have that one. He had thought things over since their last meeting, and had come to that conclusion as well. But when he saw Anderson for the first time since then an hour ago, all that hindsight realisation was thrown out the window. "_That was probably what happened to Ash too_."

Shepard sighed and continued. "Alright, I get it. There's one other thing I wanted to talk to you about, the trial?"

Anderson felt a bit worried. "_Perhaps I should have done more to convince them_." "It's unreasonable, but necessary. The Alliance-"

Shepard cut him off with a raise of his hand. His universal sign to halt.

"I meant _after_ the trial. They are going to listen to me one way or another. I want to know what will happen after that."

"You'll get a promotion, Staff Commander. You're universally known as the first human SpecTRe, Commander Shepard. To change you title would be ill-advised I'm afraid. Politics again."

"What about Alliance staff? My current crew is former Cerberus. Though, the Illusive Man recruited them off of the Alliance to try and make me more '_comfortable_'." He dragged out the last word, Anderson could feel the hate in his voice as he mentioned the Illusive Man.

"They will need to be reinstated into the Alliance. They might want to replace your crew entirely, you'll have to strike a deal yourself."

"I want my old crew back too, can you get the survivours from the SR-1 prepped and ready to join? Adams, Hendricks, Bastille-"

"Williams?"

Shepard looked back from Anderson. He stared out into the Presidium lake.

"...Yes."

"I'll get them if they agree. Some of them went dark though, private sector. Moreau and Chakwas-"

"Are with me."

"Alright, then. You should go before Udina finds out you were here again, Shepard."

"Yes, you're right. It was good seeing you again, Anderson."

With that, Shepard left.

Shepard walked through the Presidium, no real destination in mind. He mulled over what Anderson said, what Hackett said. His thoughts travelled over everything that happened. Everything he had fought. Everything he had fought for. Everything he had lost.

"Damn it, Ash."

He shut the thoughts out of his mind and changed his course. He wouldn't think about it, he would do something about it. And with that, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2 : Shore Leave Sadness

My writing is erratic. 3 days of shore leave, stories for different members of the Normandy.

* * *

><p>Kelly walked over towards Kasumi's makeshift room in the Port Observasion deck, arms crossed slightly under her breasts. She paused at the holographic panel and punched lightly at the panel, causing the door to slide open with a slight hiss. It was empty.<p>

Feeling dejected, she decided to go out alone. Samara was as aloof as always, Kasumi was missing, Patel went to snog her boyfriend and everyone else already had plans. Kelly herself was planning on checking out some of the restaurants around Kithoi Ward but now, drinking seemed a much more appealing option.

At the cockpit, Joker swiveled around to meet her sullen stare. He began to speak with that grin which seemed permanently stuck on his face. She admired his smile, half the time it wasn't genuine but it still looked nice.

"Hey Chambers, you- Wow. Haven't seen you frown since the Collector base."

She would have called her expression neutral before, but she was definitely frowning now.

"Back off, Jeff. Not in the mood" She wasn't in the mood.

"Holy Shit, did the perky and lovable schoolgirl just stand up for herself?"

_Bull shit_. It was all bull, everything! His smile was a facade. His humour, a coping mechanism. She opted not to waste any more time with him.

She didn't know how right she was. The humour was a coping mechanism, but for _what_, exactly? Joker quickly clambered out of his chair, entering the airlock just before the door slid shut and decontamination began. Kelly was not in the mood.

"What do you want?"

"Thought I'd go out for a beer or two. You?"

"I don't know. Samara is as reclusive as always. Kasumi's not even in her room and Patel is too busy macking out with her boyfriend at his apartment to go out with me. I guess everyone has their own agenda."

"Feeling a little lonely there, Chambers? Maybe a little physical therapy would do you some good."

Kelly looked into Joker's eyes, a pleading look on her face.

"Not.. in the mood, Jeff."

The decontamination process ended, and they silently headed out towards a transport terminal. Hailing a cab, they got in and headed towards Flux, an old bar the Commander used to frequent. The new Flux was bigger than the original, after the geth attack, many property owners had pulled out and Doran managed to supersize his business.

The main bar was a large, inwardly-inclining semicircle which lead out to the dance floor. It served as the intersection between two floors. The upper floor, which served as an extended seating area and gambling room and the basement, which was reserved for more.. _private_ affairs. Joker got a glimpse of Shepard on the upper floor, quietly typing away at a portable terminal with pinkish-white drink at his side.

Kelly and Joker headed towards the main bar, taking up two empty seats. He ordered a nice looking Asari-made cocktail a Salarian was having while she gulped down a strange black liquid. Kelly noticed him staring and turned towards him.

"Hennigan Black. 15% alcohol. Pretty sure it has rotten eggs too."

Her mood was sour, and now she was _joking_? That was his job!

"Okay, seriously Kelly. What is up with you? You used to be so happy and now..."

Kelly stared daggers at him, when would he understand that she was not in the mood?

"You weren't there, Jeff. People being torn apart by millions of tiny parasites. I could hear them screaming.. see their vision fading. I could feel them dying."

Joker was unsure how to respond, usually humour covered his bases but it would be inappropriate at this point. Hell, inappropriate was one thing but you couldn't wave shit around when someone was dealing with death.

"Shit, Chambers. I'm not really good at this comforting business, best I've done is offer condolences."

Kelly smiled slightly, but her eyes. Her eyes betrayed her sadness.

"It's okay, Jeff. Just drink with me."

* * *

><p>Samara walked around Kithoi ward, creating a small field of emptiness around her. Those who had been in the galaxy long enough knew her by her markings. Those who didn't.. well, the increasingly widening circle and variety of <em>weapons<em> jutting from her back were clues enough. Justicars were forbidden from owning personal items, save for weapons if you would call them personal. That didn't stop her from window shopping the Asari dress shops.

In modern times, clothing was much more linear and boring, but there were a few ones that piqued her interest. Samara had always had an eye for Asari her late maiden years, she had gone under the teachings of a Matron seamstress. The colours and texture of a hundred different materials sewn together to form art. Art, which was underrated by many.

She saw now, that many Asari wore tight-fitting dresses that bore their busts. Her own revealing suit was the traditional Justicar uniform. She suspected that because most Asari neither had ancient laws to uphold nor show their cleavage to other races before, this was done to stimulate human.. _interest_.

Humans. _Hiu-men-sss_. Odd beings, their species intrigued her. Their history was much like her own. Although all species had their similarities she couldn't help but feel that humans had a certain conncection with the Asari. Their females had similar figures, too.

As she was examining an olive-coloured dress, she noted that it would have fitted the ship's resident psychologist, Kelly Chambers. Samara felt a rare pang of guilt against her stomach. She had grown accustomed to the act of killing long ago, but seeing those sad eyes when she turned her down to an outing had nothing to do with it.

Samara liked Kelly, she was upbeat and cheery, and held a certain.. _innocence_ behind her eyes, something rare for a Justicar to see in an adult. It was not something she saw anymore, however. The same innocence she had seen in Morinth before she melded with her first mate. The same one that vanished in her captivity within the Collector base just as it had vanished after Morinth held the blood-strewn corpse of her first love in her arms.

A voice spoke from behind her. "I could steal that for you if you want."

Samara turned towards the voice, she had her invisibility tech turned on but for anyone who knew her the identity was obvious.

"Justicars do not condone the possesion of personal effects, nor of pilfering them."

Kasumi allowed a small chuckle to escape her. "Pilfer? Translator must be on the fritz."

Samara didn't laugh. Kasumi was part of Shepard's crew, and she had taken an oath. But if things were different.. Kasumi had taken the time to talk to her. She had an odd feminity that did not suit her expertise. Samara found her grace and elegence akin to her own.

"I do not find that to be humorous, given the situation." She looked away from Kasumi.

"You have a good heart, Kasumi. But Justicars are impartial. If I were not in Shepard's employ, I would be forced to kill you."

Kasumi merely smiled, apparently unfazed by the Justicar's threatening statement.

"You and I both know neither of us are going to leave him, Samara. All the things he's done for the galaxy. All the things he's done for us. Heck, I only joined him because Cerberus promised a great pay and to help me find Keiji's greybox."

Kasumi dramatically turned towards the shop's window and stared out.

"But he helped us. Helped both of us find closure, me with Keiji and you with Morinth. My contract ended with the Collector base, you know."

Samara, smiled. A less-than-genuine act mostly attempted at assuring her.

"I hope what you say is true, Miss Goto. For both our sakes."

* * *

><p>The scanner ran along the front of Thane's body, his chest moving steadily up and down. Chakwas had given him a slight sedative to keep him from coughing. The scanner needed to record Thane's lungs in unimpeded breathing. The scanner zipped back into place as it uploaded the data into the terminal it was connected to.<p>

"How is it, Siha?" said Thane, rising slowly from his supine position on the medical bed. Thane stared at her with dark, unyielding eyes. Chakwas didn't know that word, and she wasn't keen to. The look in his eyes told her everything.

It was unwanted, the fact that he was an alien- a dying alien at that- was only the start of it. He was a killer, and not a penitent one at that. He did so for the sum of digits in his bank instead of the safety of others as her late husband did. It was also apparent that he was lonely at the loss of his wife. She knew the feeling well.

"It is getting worse, to say the least. The first time I examined you, you had about 8 months left. But the increased physical activity after going on missions with Shepard..." She sighed and turned to face Thane.

"You have about 2 months now."

Thane nodded in thanks, he appreciated her honesty. He also appreciated her care for the wounded and her aged, yet still beautiful face. He was a killer, but she. She was a healer.

"Thank you, Doctor." he said, placing a hand across her cheek. She brushed away from the contact.

"If you will excuse me, I will take my leave now.

"Of course."

* * *

><p>Jack was lying on her cot in the dark recesses of the ship's engineering deck. Hands behind her head, she felt oddly at peace. She had put most of her dark past behind her, even put that Aresh guy out of his misery. She would never admit it, but she didn't do it out of hate. When she saw the glazed look in Aresh's eyes, it reminded her of the druggins she had been put through in the very place she was standing in over 15 years prior. Aresh wasn't in his right mind, he never would be.<p>

The past was the past, she was a new woman. She got 2 new tattoos and actually put on some clothes for a change. _Some_ clothes. Quiet and serene moments like this were hard to come by. Even less did she make use of it. She closed her eyes, escaping into her own personal world of memories.

Gunfire blazed throughout the halls of the pirate ship. The Batarian owners were vigorously pumping lead throughout the ship, shredding the walls and filling the ship with small clumps of debris. They were both trapped and the Batarians knew it.

He was sat in the helmsman's seat, pretending to be steering. But she knew, the ship was on autopilot. She was no pilot herself, but even the most dimwitted of people knew how to flick a switch.

"They're gonna blow us ta bits if we don get outta here." said the redheaded man crouching beside her. He was systematically popping out of cover and firing his rifle into the gang of Batarians. The hate and anger she had felt at the Batarians was washed out by the concern in his voice.

Jack walked behind him, lightly placing her hands on his shoulders. She trailed her fingers lightly across his chest. Strong, taut muscles. They were also tense.

Jack knew what he was thinking, Riley had always had that weird combination of gruff and tough mercenary, but with a heart of gold. He helped any innocents in need and refused to rob anyone who didn't deserve it. When it came to criminals though, a pull of the trigger was all he needed.

He turned towards her, a combination of desire and guilt in his eyes. He knew what she was thinking.

It was supposed to be a simple raid, on pirates of course. But little did they know the Batarians had extensive prior military experience, they were co-ordinated and resilient. True bastards.

It was supposed to be a simple partnership. _She_ would get him out of trouble with her biotics_. He_ would shoot any fuckers who refused to die. _They_ would grab the loot. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Listen here, Princess. We got about 6 minutes before they take over our cover. Ye need ta get outta here, put on yer barriers and RUN!" He shouted the last word, popping out of cover again and blasting his rifle, this time hitting a Batarian's eye.

"Jack.. Ah can't. Ye've been hurt before, and our lives are dangerous. If anythin' happens ta me..."

"What about you? I've taken a lot of shit before, Riley but.. I'm not just gonna leave you here!"

"What about me? I've taken a lot of shit before, Riley but.. I know you got feelings for me.

"Don worry, Ah'll be right behind ya."

"We don't have ta do this. Even if we don't get... physical. Ya know Ah'll always be right behind ye."

Riley was a charmer, it was a trait all the other men she had fallen for possessed. He was the first one who 'fell' back. Taking assurance in his words, she activated her biotic barrier and ran towards the airlock. She clambered in, not before looking back and seeing Riley.

Jack wasn't a charmer, it was a trait she was proud of. She had done this before, but Riley was the first one who refused. Riley was the first one she fell for who 'fell' back. Ignoring his words, she stradled him and placed herself onto his lap. She looked into his eyes, seeing a mixture of guilt, desire and... love.

Riley. Pale skin, an eyepatch crossed over one eye. Clich_é_ d, but it did make him look more attractive.

Jack. Pale skin, reddish-brown hair. Tattooes all over her body. She had gotten another one just for him.

A bullet through his head.

An arrow through her heart.

It was then that Jack lost it. This berzerker rage had happened only once before, when she escaped the Pragia facility. She was merely a child, then. She tapped into her supply of energy and burst forward into the crowd of Batarians progressing through the hall. She jumped forward, a fierce battle-cry emenating from the deep reaches of her soul.

It was then that Jack lost it. It had happened before. But she was merely a lost, stupid child then, looking for love in places she was not supposed to be. Fueled by her desire and affection, she kissed him. Aggressively, passionately.

40 minutes later, the Batarians were dead. Dead was an understatement. They were oblivion. The only evidence of them were the blood, feces and traces of meat embedded into the floor, walls and ceiling. 38 minutes of torture and 2 minutes of warping the remains with the vestiges of the energy left in her.

2 hours later, they lay on the floor exhausted. Exhausted wasn't really the right word. They were in bliss. Evidence of their love making were strewn across the cockpit. 115 minutes of sex and 5 minutes of cuddling. _So far_.

She had done it, killed the Batarians. She should have done so before. Before they murdered the only person who had loved her.

They had done the deed, they had held eachother in the passionate imbrace of lovemaking. There was nothing more she had wanted.

A tear escaped from Jacks eye through heavy-lidded eyes. She would have to forget him, forget the way he made her feel. But she never could.

* * *

><p>"<em>Turn me over and dunk me into a fish tank, I'll eat your pets. Turn me over and dunk me into a pot of gold, I'll make you a very happy woman.<em>"

Yes, this Chapter contains downers. The next one will have Jacob spillin' drinks and Garrus making love to someone. Whooooo? Last day of shore leave will be more neutral, I think.


End file.
